Supreme Court rebukes Mamata Banerjee for interfering in ED raid probe on I-PAC

The apex court on Wednesday rebuked West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee for allegedly interfering in central agency probe on I-PAC. 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for obstructing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe in I-Pac. The court commented that a sitting Chief Minister cannot interfere in an ongoing probe by a central agency, and the matter cannot be described as a center vs state dispute.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice NV Anjaria orally commented while hearing a writ petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has sought a CBI FIR against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and state police officials for allegedly obstructing an ED raid on I-PAC, the political consultant firm for the Trinamool Congress.

What did the Supreme Court say

ED officers also filed a connected writ petition challenging the FIR lodged against them by the West Bengal Police.

Rejecting the argument, Justice Kumar remarked, "What right of the state does this involve? This is not a dispute between the state and the central government. You cannot walk in. Any Chief Minister of any state walks in the midst of an inquiry or investigation, and you say that it is essentially a dispute between the state and the central government?"

"Any Minister just walks in the midst of an enquiry, and you see make the democracy in peril and argues that it's a dispute essentially between the state and centre?" Justice Kumar further asked.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta interjected, noting that incriminating material was also taken away by the Chief Minister.

Justice Kumar observed: "This is not per se a dispute between the state and the Union. This is, per se, an act committed by an individual who happens to be the Chief Minister of a state, keeping the whole system and the whole democracy in... You are saying that, if at all, this can be maintainable, it cannot be maintained under Article 32 but only under Article 132... You have taken us through Kesavananda Bharati and Seervai. But none of them would have ever conceived of this situation—that in this country a day will come when a sitting Chief Minister will walk into the office of some other agency."

What is the I-PAC matter?

The matter traces back to raids carried out by the ED on January 8 as part of a multi-crore money laundering investigation linked to an alleged coal smuggling scam.
According to ED, Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by more than 100 police personnel and senior officials, entered the I-PAC office as well as the residence of its founder, Pratik Jain, while the searches were underway.

The agency has alleged that she unauthoritatively removed key evidence during the operation, including laptops, mobile phones, and documents containing electoral data.
During earlier proceedings, the Supreme Court had described the alleged confrontation as “very unusual” and termed it an “unhappy situation”, raising concerns about the absence of clear legal remedies in cases where a high-ranking state functionary is accused of obstructing a central investigation.

Appearing for the ED, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the alleged interference, along with appropriate action against the Chief Minister and the state’s Director General of Police. The agency has argued that central investigative bodies cannot be left “remediless” if their operations are physically obstructed.

On the other hand, the West Bengal government, represented by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, has contested the maintainability of the plea. The state has argued that the ED, being a government department, cannot claim fundamental rights or invoke Article 32 to directly approach the Supreme Court.

The state has also alleged that the raids are politically motivated and aimed at undermining the All India Trinamool Congress ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, in a related development, I-PAC co-founder Vinesh Kumar Chandel was arrested on April 13, after which the organisation is reported to have scaled down or paused its operations in West Bengal.

A court at Patiala House Court subsequently remanded Chandel to 10 days of ED custody in connection with the money laundering probe linked to the alleged coal pilferage case. He is expected to remain in custody until April 23 for further interrogation.

(with inputs from agencies)